|
An artist works with the Spectrasonics Omnisphere synthesizer using the company's new Omni TR Touch Remote iPad controller app. |
Today, films with electronic scores are more the rule rather than the exception, especially with tools for creating music using synthesizers, samples and loops becoming easier to use, more affordable and more accessible. And having a few scoring tools at your disposal is not necessarily limited to great musicians/composers (although a little talent certainly doesn't hurt), especially where you're going for a textural feel and know that a series of minor 2nd note strikes on a piano/strings patch can go a long way toward creating a creepy atmosphere, or that a little experimentation with an arpeggiator feature can build the base of something that's sci-fi worthy.
Best of all, you don't need a huge studio room or a warehouse of expensive rare instruments to create the right feel, whether for solo piano, a string section, full orchestra or pulsing industrial tracks. With that in mind, let's explore some of my top picks in hardware and software-based instruments for creating soundtracks.
HARDWARE: THE BIG THREE
Since the days of Bob Moog's pioneering work in modular synthesizer development back in the 1960s, keyboard instruments traditionally have been the choice for electronic music. And even with literally hundreds of software-based virtual products to choose from, recent compositional workstations from the big-three keyboard suppliers, Korg Kronos, Roland Fantom, and Yamaha MOTIF XF, don't disappoint. Anything but old-fashioned, these take music production to a whole new level, offering not only a dazzling variety of fresh and traditional sounds, but putting these into powerful, flexible controllers combining onboard capabilities for sequencing, editing, signal processing and computer interfacing. All three of these hardware synth workstations are sold in 61-, 76- and 88-key variations.
Korg Kronos (from $2,999) features nine complete synthesis engines (including pianos and organs), pop and orchestral samples, drums, analog and digital synthesis, an internal sampler, 32-track recording (16 sequenced and 16 audio) and near-instantaneous loading of sounds from an internal solid-state disk. Control is via an 8-inch TouchView display and a host of sliders, dedicated knobs and switches, ribbon controller and 360º joystick parameter manipulation. www.korg.com
The fourth-generation Roland Fantom G (from $2,799) is built around a large, 8.5-inch color TFT display with plenty of dedicated controls for fast operation. Internal recording handles up to 128 tracks, 24 of which can be audio, with a wealth of Roland's SRX sounds and two ARX expansion slots for adding more sounds and effects beyond the huge array of acoustic instruments (pianos, guitars, drums, horns and orchestral samples) and a synth engine with thousands of tweakable sounds. And a bank of 16 soft pads above the keyboard is perfect for performing realistic drum parts. www.rolandus.com
The Yamaha MOTIF XF (from $2,399) offers nearly 1,700 sounds from its onboard 741 MB of program Wave ROM—acoustic and synth voicings, 64 drum kits, keyboards, guitars, basses, drums, jazz and orchestral instruments—and some 400 internal effects. Also standard are user sampling and on-board 16-track sequencing, with USB, Ethernet or optional FireWire connectivity directly to your DAW, recorder or computer. It ships with a copy of Steinberg's Cubase AI software (PC/Mac), and includes editor software and remote control DAW integration. A new app adds fingertip MOTIF XF parameter control via iPad. www.yamahasynth.com
Ableton Live |
Over the past decade, there has been an avalanche in offerings of software-based (virtual) instruments, operating within the DAW environment (via VST, RTAS, MAS or AU formats) and/or as standalone apps for PC or Mac. Of course, even within the virtual world, unless you like performing compositions with a mouse, it's still a lot easier to do composing if you have a hardware controller surface. This may be either a synth or USB keyboard controller, although there are other alternatives as well, ranging from MIDI guitars and wind and percussion pad controllers, to inexpensive iPad apps such as eyoControl, MIDIPilot or OnStage Remote for wireless performance.
Traditional synth/piano-type keyboard USB controllers range from about $69 to about $1,000, depending on various factors—how many keys you need—from a simple two-octave/25-key model to a full 88-key version with weighted piano-style action. Other features may include the amount of programmable switches, sliders and control used to tweak system parameters or recall programs or presets within the software, and/or alternate control devices (percussion pads, ribbon controllers, etc.) and sometimes even basic onboard sounds. But whatever you choose, I recommend selecting something with full-sized keys, as models with "mini" keys can be difficult to play. In my studio, we have a bit of both, with a high-end, 88-key model with wonderful piano-like feel and a $99 M-Audio KeyRig 49 for quick grab-and-go stuff. I also have a Roland Octapad controller with eight pads played with drum sticks, which is programmed with presets for triggering drum sounds, as well as settings for playing tuned percussion such as vibes and marimbas.
top
0 Comments